1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer and a method for determining an abnormality in dispensing of a dispensing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in an automatic analyzer which analyzes a biological sample such as blood and bodily fluid, a liquid sample such as a specimen and a reagent is dispensed by a dispensing system, and the specimen and the reagent are dispensed by a dispensing nozzle connected with a dispensing pipe filled with cleaning liquid (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-271266, for example). In the dispensing system which dispenses the biological sample, an abnormality in dispensing occurs over time because a foreign substance and a taint caused by the biological sample adhere to components such as the dispensing nozzle and the dispensing pipe, or because the cleaning liquid is leaked from a pipe, a syringe pump or from the like, or because a driving unit which drives the syringe pump and the like has an operational failure.
Thus, the automatic analyzer regularly carries out maintenance and replaces components of the dispensing system, or checks accuracy management data obtained by measuring an accuracy-management specimen for management of dispense accuracy. Specifically, the measurement of the accuracy-management specimen is useful for detecting an abnormality in dispensing, and the abnormality in dispensing can be immediately detected as a number of measurements increases. Thus, the more the number of measurements of the accuracy-management specimen increases, the higher a probability of detecting an abnormality in a measured value of the specimen caused by the abnormality in dispensing becomes.